A modular drive system suitable for rapid disassembly and assembly of ropes of a bionic snake robot

Abstract

The present invention discloses a modular drive system suitable for the rapid disassembly and assembly of the rope of a bionic snake robot, comprising a drive box and a plurality of drive units, wherein the drive unit is provided with a rope drive, guide and stiffness control mechanism. The rope drive mechanism is composed of a reduction motor and a circuit board, and can control the rotation of the motor; the rope drum, intermediate winding wheel and guide winding wheel of the rope guide mechanism cooperate to realize the winding, stiffness adjustment and direction adjustment of the drive rope; the stiffness control mechanism effectively adjusts the tension of the drive rope and optimizes the stiffness of the robot through the synergy of manually turning the knob and tension feedback control. The drive unit adopts a modular design with a simple structure and can be increased or decreased as needed. This system can improve the endoscopic detection performance of the rope-driven bionic snake robot and enhance its applicability in narrow environments. It has the advantages of simple structure, convenient control and high integration, and has broad application prospects in the field of endoscopic operation of major engineering equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of robotics, and particularly relates to a modular drive system suitable for rapid disassembly and assembly of ropes of a bionic snake robot. Background Art

[0002] As a new type of robot that draws on the physiological structure and motion form of biological snakes in nature, compared with traditional rigid robots, a bionic snake robot has a higher degree of freedom and flexible motion postures, and can achieve long-distance endoscopic motion in a multi-constrained unknown environment, so as to successfully complete the detection task in a chamber environment. The bionic snake robot has excellent application prospects in the field of endoscopic operation in narrow spaces of major engineering equipment.

[0003] However, since the bionic snake robot needs to be structurally designed to adapt to the internal structure of the long and winding chambers of major engineering equipment, the bionic snake robot usually has a snake-arm structure with a large length-to-diameter ratio. This structural form makes the bionic snake robot have poor structural stiffness properties and redundant degrees of freedom of motion, and it is necessary to drive and control a large number of snake-arm joints. This not only increases the difficulty of stiffness control of the bionic snake robot, but also makes the drive system of the bionic snake robot account for a relatively large proportion of the body volume and mass, resulting in relatively slow and less flexible overall motion. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Aiming at the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a modular drive system suitable for rapid disassembly and assembly of ropes of a bionic snake robot.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is: a modular drive system suitable for rapid disassembly and assembly of ropes of a bionic snake robot, including a drive system of the bionic snake robot, the drive system of the bionic snake robot includes a drive box body and a plurality of drive units arranged in the drive box body, and a rope drive mechanism, a rope guiding mechanism and a stiffness control mechanism are arranged in the drive unit;

[0006] The drive unit includes a rectangular base fixedly provided with a left side plate and a right side plate on both sides. A rotary member and a motor bracket are arranged between the left side plate and the right side plate. The rotary member is located at the rear end of the drive unit and is connected to the motor bracket by cross-recessed head screws. The motor bracket is used to rotate around the rotation axis of the rotary member for attitude feedback in response to changes in rope tension. A front plate is installed at the front end of the drive unit. By installing an aviation plug on the front plate and connecting it to the upper computer of the rope-driven bionic snake robot, an integrated design of the electric control cable is realized;

[0007] The rope drive mechanism includes a reduction motor and a circuit board. The reduction motor is composed of a reducer, a driving motor, and an encoder connected in sequence from top to bottom. The output shaft direction of the reduction motor is vertically upward and suspended. The circuit board is installed on the inner wall surface of the right side plate by inner hexagon socket head cap screws. The circuit board is connected to the encoder through an electric control cable to achieve the motion control of the reduction motor;

[0008] The rope guiding mechanism includes a rope reel, an intermediate pulley, and a guiding pulley. The rope reel is coaxially and fixedly sleeved on the output shaft of the reduction motor. The guiding pulley is arranged at the front end of the driving unit. The intermediate pulley is located between the rope reel and the guiding pulley. The rope reel, the intermediate pulley, and the guiding pulley are connected by the driving rope of the bionic snake robot. The rope reel is used for winding and storing the driving rope. The intermediate pulley is used to adjust the stiffness of the driving rope. The guiding pulley is used to adjust and change the direction of the driving rope;

[0009] The stiffness control mechanism includes a baffle, a spring group, a slider, a trapezoidal nut, a bushing, a trapezoidal lead screw, a smooth shaft, a rotating knob, a set screw, a connecting rod member, a tension sensor, and a rear plate. One end of the trapezoidal lead screw and the smooth shaft are both connected to the inner wall of the right side plate through the baffle. The other end of the trapezoidal lead screw penetrates the left side plate and is fixedly connected to the rotating knob through the set screw. The connecting rod members are installed above and below the intermediate pulley for connecting the upper and lower sliders. Among the upper and lower same group of sliders, the upper slider is internally installed and connected with a trapezoidal nut, and the lower slider is internally installed and connected with a bushing. The trapezoidal nut is connected to the trapezoidal lead screw, and the bushing is connected to the smooth shaft, which is used to make the slider move along the trapezoidal lead screw and the smooth shaft direction. A spring group is arranged between the baffle and the slider, which is used to make the intermediate pulley automatically return to the initial position in the stiffness control mechanism when manually adjusting the tension of the driving rope is stopped. One end of the tension sensor is connected to the rear plate, and the other end is connected to the motor bracket, which is used to obtain the data information of the change in rope tension.

[0010] Further, the left side plate and the right side plate are respectively connected and fixed to both sides of the rectangular base by cross recessed countersunk head screws, inner hexagon socket head cap screws, and support rod members.

[0011] Further, four mounting holes are uniformly arranged on the rectangular base, and inner hexagon socket head cap screws are respectively arranged in the four mounting holes for fixedly connecting the rectangular base inside the driving box.

[0012] Further, the height of the front and rear end walls of the driving box is lower than the height of the driving unit to avoid interference problems when the driving rope is connected to the joints of the bionic snake robot.

[0013] Furthermore, the layout of the mounting holes inside the drive housing should be designed in combination with the size of the drive unit to ensure the smoothness of the installation and disassembly of the drive unit and the operating space of the stiffness adjustment mechanism.

[0014] Furthermore, a spacing is left between the reduction motor and the rectangular base to reserve space for the arrangement of the electric control cables.

[0015] Furthermore, the layout of the mounting holes inside the drive housing should be designed in combination with the size of the drive unit to ensure the smoothness of the installation and disassembly of the drive unit and the operating space of the stiffness adjustment mechanism.

[0016] Working principle of the present invention: For inspection operation scenarios such as endoscopic operation of major engineering equipment, according to the size of its internal space, the number of drive units is reasonably set and installed in the drive housing to form a bionic snake robot drive system. During the endoscopic movement of the cable-driven bionic snake robot, instructions are issued by the host computer and sent to the circuit board in the cable drive mechanism to control the rotation of the reduction motor composed of a reducer, a motor, and an encoder. Through the rotation of the reduction motor, the movement of the cable reel in the cable guiding mechanism is driven, and the cable is driven to extend or contract along the intermediate idler pulley and the guiding idler pulley, so as to change the movement posture of the cable-driven bionic snake robot to adapt to the complex structure inside the major engineering equipment. When the bionic snake robot is in the normal working state, the tension sensor fixed on the rear plate is used to sense and transmit the data of the cable tension change that causes the rotation trend of the motor bracket, so as to improve the movement stiffness of the cable-driven bionic snake robot. In addition, for the task requirements of high-precision endoscopic inspection operations, the rotation knob of the drive unit of the corresponding joint of the cable-driven bionic snake robot is manually rotated to a certain angle, so that the slider drives the intermediate idler pulley to move along the trapezoidal lead screw and the optical axis direction, changing the tension of the drive cable, so as to realize the optimized adjustment of the stiffness of the cable-driven bionic snake robot. After the high-precision endoscopic inspection is completed, the rotational torque of the rotation knob is released, so that the intermediate idler pulley returns to the initial position in the stiffness control mechanism for subsequent endoscopic operation actions.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0018] 1. A driving system of a bionic snake robot capable of achieving stiffness adjustment disclosed by the present invention can improve the performance of a cable-driven bionic snake robot during fine endoscopic inspection tasks. When the cable-driven bionic snake robot operates stably under normal conditions, it uses a tension sensor to sense the change in rope tension and achieve the stiffness adjustment of the snake-shaped arm; during high-precision endoscopic inspection operations, by manually adjusting the rotation angle of the rotary knob on one side of the stiffness control mechanism, the position of the intermediate winding wheel of the rope guiding mechanism is changed, thereby adjusting the tension of the driving rope in real time, optimizing the structural stiffness of the snake-shaped arm, ensuring the accuracy and stability of the movement of the end of the snake-shaped arm of the bionic snake robot, and further improving the efficiency and accuracy of the endoscopic inspection work of the cable-driven bionic snake robot.

[0019] 2. The specially designed driving unit of the present invention adopts a modular design structure, including a rope driving mechanism, a rope guiding mechanism, and a stiffness control mechanism. The structural design of this bionic snake robot driving system is simple, occupies less space, and can flexibly increase or decrease the driving units according to the actual needs of endoscopic operations of major engineering equipment, ensuring that the cable-driven bionic snake robot can smoothly reach the damaged detection area and enhancing its applicability in various narrow detection environments.

[0020] 3. The present invention has the characteristics of simple structure, convenient control, and high integration, and is particularly suitable for endoscopic operation tasks of major engineering equipment. It not only expands the working range of the cable-driven bionic snake robot but also improves the structural stiffness of its working state, and has broad application prospects in related technical fields. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the bionic snake robot driving system of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the bionic snake robot driving unit of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the side plate of the bionic snake robot driving unit of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the rope driving mechanism of the bionic snake robot driving unit of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the rope guiding mechanism of the bionic snake robot driving unit of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 is a partial schematic diagram of the stiffness control mechanism of the bionic snake robot driving unit of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 is a panoramic schematic diagram of the stiffness control mechanism of the bionic snake robot driving unit of the present invention.

[0028] Among them, 1. Bionic snake robot drive system; 2. Drive box; 3. Drive unit; 301. Left side plate; 302. Right side plate; 303. Rectangular base; 304. Cross countersunk head screw; 305. Hexagon socket head cap screw; 306. Mounting hole; 307. Rotary part; 308. Support rod member; 309. Motor bracket; 310. Front plate; 4. Rope drive mechanism; 401. Reducer; 402. Drive motor; 403. Encoder; 404. Circuit board; 5. Rope guiding mechanism; 501. Rope reel; 502. Intermediate winding wheel; 503. Guide winding wheel; 6. Stiffness control mechanism; 601. Baffle; 602. Spring group; 603. Slide block; 604. Trapezoidal nut; 605. Bush; 606. Trapezoidal lead screw; 607. Optical axis; 608. Rotating knob; 609. Set screw; 610. Connecting rod member; 611. Tensile sensor; 612. Rear plate. Specific embodiments

[0029] The following combines the attached Figure 1 to the attached Figure 7 figures, and describes the specific embodiments of the present invention in detail. In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0030] The terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features; in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise stated, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

[0031] It should be noted that the circuit connections involved in the present invention all adopt conventional circuit connection methods and do not involve any innovation.

[0032] Embodiment: As Figure 1 shown, a modular drive system applicable to the rapid disassembly and assembly of ropes for a bionic snake robot includes a bionic snake robot drive system 1, and the bionic snake robot drive system 1 includes a drive box 2 and a plurality of drive units 3 arranged in the drive box 2. Among them: a rope drive mechanism 4, a rope guiding mechanism 5, and a stiffness control mechanism 6 are provided in the drive unit 3;

[0033] As Figures 2-3As shown in the figure, the driving unit 3 includes a rectangular base 303 with a left side plate 301 and a right side plate 302 fixedly provided on both sides. Between the left side plate 301 and the right side plate 302, there are a rotating member 307 and a motor bracket 309. The rotating member 307 is located at the rear end of the driving unit 3 and is connected to the motor bracket 309 by cross-recessed head screws 304. The motor bracket 309 is used to rotate around the rotation axis of the rotating member 307, and is used to adjust the three-dimensional space position of the motor bracket 309 according to the change of the rope tension, so as to make attitude feedback. A front plate 310 is installed at the front end of the driving unit 3. By installing an aviation plug on the front plate 310 and connecting it to the upper computer of the cable-driven bionic snake robot, the integrated design of the electric control cable is realized. The left side plate 301 and the right side plate 302 are respectively connected and fixed to both sides of the rectangular base 303 by cross-recessed head screws 304, socket head cap screws 305 and support members 308. Four mounting holes 306 are evenly arranged on the rectangular base 303, and socket head cap screws 305 are respectively arranged in the four mounting holes 306 for fixedly connecting the rectangular base 303 inside the driving box 2;

[0034] As Figure 4 shown in the figure, the cable driving mechanism 4 includes a reduction motor and a circuit board 404. The reduction motor is composed of a reducer 401, a driving motor 402 and an encoder 403 connected in sequence from top to bottom. The output shaft direction of the reduction motor is vertically suspended upward. The circuit board 404 is installed on the inner side wall surface of the right side plate 302 by socket head cap screws 305. The circuit board 404 is connected to the encoder 403 through an electric control cable to realize the motion control of the reduction motor;

[0035] As Figure 5 shown in the figure, the cable guiding mechanism 5 includes a cable reel 501, an intermediate winding wheel 502 and a guiding winding wheel 503. The cable reel 501 is coaxially and fixedly sleeved on the output shaft of the reduction motor. The guiding winding wheel 503 is arranged at the front end of the driving unit 3. The intermediate winding wheel 502 is located between the cable reel 501 and the guiding winding wheel 503. The cable reel 501, the intermediate winding wheel 502 and the guiding winding wheel 503 are connected by the driving cable of the bionic snake robot. The cable reel 501 is used for winding and storing the driving cable. The intermediate winding wheel 502 is used to realize the stiffness adjustment of the driving cable. The guiding winding wheel 503 is used to adjust and change the direction of the driving cable;

[0036] As Figures 6-7As shown in the figure, the stiffness control mechanism 6 includes a baffle 601, a spring group 602, a slider 603, a trapezoidal nut 604, a bushing 605, a trapezoidal lead screw 606, a smooth shaft 607, a rotary knob 608, a set screw 609, a connecting rod member 610, a tension sensor 611 and a rear plate 612. One ends of the trapezoidal lead screw 606 and the smooth shaft 607 are both connected to the inner wall of the right side plate 302 through the baffle 601. The other end of the trapezoidal lead screw 606 penetrates through the left side plate 301 and is fixedly connected to the rotary knob 608 through the set screw 609. A connecting rod member 610 is installed above and below the intermediate winding pulley 502 for connecting the upper and lower sliders 603. Among the upper and lower sliders 603 in the same group, a trapezoidal nut 604 is installed and connected inside the upper slider 603, and a bushing 605 is installed and connected inside the lower slider 603. The trapezoidal nut 604 is connected to the trapezoidal lead screw 606, and the bushing 605 is connected to the smooth shaft 607, so as to make the slider 603 move along the directions of the trapezoidal lead screw 606 and the smooth shaft 607. A spring group 602 is arranged between the baffle 601 and the slider 603, which is used to make the intermediate winding pulley 502 automatically return to the initial position in the stiffness control mechanism 6 when manually adjusting the tension of the driving rope is stopped. One end of the tension sensor 611 is fixed to the rear plate 612, and the other end is connected to the motor bracket 309. By sensing the rotation trend of the motor attitude caused by the change of the rope tension, it receives and feeds back the data of the rope tension change, so as to realize the real-time stiffness control of the snake-shaped arm of the cable-driven bionic snake robot.

[0037] Preferably, the height of the front and rear end walls of the driving box 2 is lower than the height of the driving unit 3.

[0038] Preferably, the layout of the mounting holes 306 inside the driving box 2 should be designed in combination with the size of the driving unit 3 to ensure the smoothness of the installation and disassembly of the driving unit 3 and the operating space of the stiffness adjustment mechanism.

[0039] Preferably, there is a spacing between the reduction motor and the rectangular base 303 to reserve space for the arrangement of the electric control cables.

[0040] The working principle of the above embodiment is:

[0041] For the detection operation scenarios such as endoscope operation of major engineering equipment, according to the size of its internal space, the number of drive units 3 is reasonably set and installed in the drive box 2 to form the bionic snake robot drive system 1. During the endoscope movement of the cable-driven bionic snake robot, instructions are issued by the host computer and sent to the circuit board 404 in the cable drive mechanism 4 to control the rotation of the reduction motor composed of the reducer 401, the drive motor 402 and the encoder 403. Through the rotation of the reduction motor, the movement of the cable reel 501 in the cable guiding mechanism 5 is driven, and the cable is driven to extend or contract along the intermediate winding wheel 502 and the guiding winding wheel 503, so as to change the movement posture of the cable-driven bionic snake robot to adapt to the complex structure inside the major engineering equipment. When the bionic snake robot is in the normal working state, the tension sensor 611 fixed on the rear plate 612 is used to sense and transmit the data of the change in the cable tension that causes the rotation trend of the motor bracket 309, so as to improve the movement stiffness of the cable-driven bionic snake robot. In addition, for the task requirements of high-precision endoscope detection operation, the rotation knob 608 of the drive unit 3 of the corresponding joint of the cable-driven bionic snake robot is manually rotated to a certain angle, so that the slider 603 drives the intermediate winding wheel 502 to move along the trapezoidal lead screw 606 and the optical axis 607 directions, changing the tension of the drive cable, so as to realize the optimized adjustment of the stiffness of the cable-driven bionic snake robot. After the high-precision endoscope detection is completed, the rotation torque of the rotation knob 608 is released, so that the intermediate winding wheel 502 returns to the initial position in the stiffness control mechanism 6 for subsequent endoscope operation actions.

[0042] No specific models of the above electronic components are specially specified, and ordinary commercially available products can be selected as long as they can meet the usage requirements of the present invention.

[0043] The above specific embodiments have further elaborated on the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above are only specific embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A modular drive system suitable for rapid assembly and disassembly of a rope of a bionic snake robot, comprising a bionic snake robot drive system (1), the bionic snake robot drive system (1) comprising a drive box (2) and a plurality of drive units (3) arranged in the drive box (2), characterized in that: The drive unit (3) is provided with a rope drive mechanism (4), a rope guide mechanism (5) and a stiffness control mechanism (6); The driving unit (3) comprises a rectangular base (303) with a left side plate (301) and a right side plate (302) fixedly provided on both sides; a rotating member (307) and a motor bracket (309) are provided between the left side plate (301) and the right side plate (302); the rotating member (307) is located at the rear end of the driving unit (3) and is connected to the motor bracket (309) via a cross countersunk screw (304); the motor bracket (309) is used to rotate around the rotating axis of the rotating member (307) to provide posture feedback for changes in rope tension; a front plate (310) is installed at the front end of the driving unit (3); an aviation plug is installed on the front plate (310) and connected to a host computer of the rope-driven bionic snake robot, thereby realizing an integrated design of the electric control cable; The rope drive mechanism (4) comprises a reduction motor and a circuit board (404), wherein the reduction motor comprises a reducer (401), a drive motor (402), and an encoder (403) which are sequentially connected from top to bottom, wherein the output shaft of the reduction motor is suspended vertically upward, and the circuit board (404) is mounted on the inner wall surface of the right side plate (302) via a hexagon socket head screw (305), and the circuit board (404) is connected to the encoder (403) via an electric control cable, thereby realizing motion control of the reduction motor; The rope guide mechanism (5) comprises a rope drum (501), an intermediate winding wheel (502) and a guide winding wheel (503); the rope drum (501) is coaxially fixedly sleeved on the output shaft of the reduction motor; the guide winding wheel (503) is arranged at the front end of the driving unit (3); the intermediate winding wheel (502) is located between the rope drum (501) and the guide winding wheel (503); the rope drum (501), the intermediate winding wheel (502) and the guide winding wheel (503) are connected via a driving rope of the bionic snake robot; the rope drum (501) is used to wind and store the driving rope; the intermediate winding wheel (502) is used to adjust the stiffness of the driving rope; and the guide winding wheel (503) is used to adjust and change the direction of the driving rope; The stiffness control mechanism (6) comprises a baffle (601), a spring group (602), a slider (603), a trapezoidal nut (604), a sleeve (605), a trapezoidal lead screw (606), an optical axis (607), a rotating knob (608), a set screw (609), a connecting rod (610), a tension sensor (611) and a rear plate (612). One end of the trapezoidal lead screw (606) and the optical axis (607) are connected to the inner wall of the right side plate (302) through the baffle (601). The other end of the trapezoidal lead screw (606) passes through the left side plate (301) and is fixedly connected to the rotating knob (608) through the set screw (609). The connecting rod (610) is installed above and below the intermediate winding wheel (502) for connecting the upper and lower sliders (603). In the same group of upper and lower sliders (603), the upper slider (603) is installed with a trapezoidal nut (610) connected thereto. The nut (604) has a shaft sleeve (605) installed in the slider (603) at the lower end. The trapezoidal nut (604) is connected to the trapezoidal lead screw (606). The shaft sleeve (605) is connected to the optical axis (607) and is used to make the slider (603) move along the direction of the trapezoidal lead screw (606) and the optical axis (607). A spring group (602) is arranged between the baffle (601) and the slider (603) and is used to make the intermediate winding wheel (502) automatically return to the initial position in the stiffness control mechanism (6) when the manual adjustment of the driving rope tension is stopped. One end of the tension sensor (611) is fixed to the rear plate (612) and the other end is connected to the motor bracket (309). By sensing the rotation trend of the motor posture caused by the change of the rope tension, the rope tension change data is received and fed back, so as to realize the real-time stiffness control of the snake-shaped arm of the rope-driven bionic snake robot.

2. A modular drive system suitable for rapid assembly and disassembly of ropes of a bionic snake robot as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The left side plate (301) and the right side plate (302) are respectively connected and fixed to two sides of the rectangular base (303) via cross countersunk screws (304), hexagon socket head screws (305) and support rods (308).

3. A modular drive system suitable for rapid assembly and disassembly of ropes of a bionic snake robot as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: Four mounting holes (306) are evenly arranged on the rectangular base (303), and hexagon socket head screws (305) are respectively arranged in the four mounting holes (306) for fixing the rectangular base (303) to the inside of the drive box (2).

4. A modular drive system suitable for rapid assembly and disassembly of ropes of a bionic snake robot as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The height of the front and rear end walls of the drive housing (2) is lower than the height of the drive unit (3).

5. A modular drive system suitable for rapid assembly and disassembly of ropes of a bionic snake robot as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The layout of the mounting holes inside the drive housing (2) should be designed in combination with the size of the drive unit (3) to ensure smooth installation and removal of the drive unit (3) and the operating space of the stiffness adjustment mechanism.

6. A modular drive system suitable for rapid assembly and disassembly of ropes of a bionic snake robot as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A spacing is left between the reduction motor and the rectangular base (303) to reserve space for arranging electric control cables.

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